Drawing customers to your used car dealership 
and keeping them engaged relies on a number of factors. How effective were your marketing efforts? What inventory do you have in stock? Is the vehicle priced appropriately for the buyer? Beyond these few questions, there are often overlooked factors that go beyond your dealership’s vehicle purchasing experience that may be preventing you from leaving a positive impression on customers and hurting your chances at growing your customer base.
Keep your inventory aligned with the wants and needs of the market
Stocking the inventory your market wants is a somewhat-invisible, but important component of used car dealership success. Staying in tune with what your customers are purchasing allows a dealer to pivot inventory quickly and seamlessly, and ensure that your lot is stocked with the vehicles your customers are looking to buy. If you don’t have the right vehicles to capture your customer’s interest, they are likely to move on to another used car dealership. The different wants and needs of your market will dictate the way your dealership spends its time and resources on inventory.
Minimize hand-offs to multiple staff members
Potential buyers don’t like to repeat themselves to multiple staff members. In addition, it can be frustrating or confusing for a potential buyer to get passed around from department to department. Take note of your current sales process. How many times is a customer passed from one department to another? Can you reduce that number? A customer most likely won’t notice if they stick with one or two different staff members. However, if they get shuffled around to more it is possible that they’ll get frustrated with the sales process and possibly leave.
Keep your dealership presentable
Ensuring that your dealership is clean and presentable can change a customer’s entire perception of your dealership. While it is perhaps a small and basic part of running a dealership, it can set the tone and leave a lasting impression on customers. A customer won’t notice a clean office or clean inventory, but they will notice an unkempt office and muddy vehicles. Clean cars with fresh interiors will always leave a good impression. In addition, visible pricing and a well lit lot ensures that customers can easily navigate your dealership and their potential vehicle options within their price range.
These overlooked, yet noticeable, components of a dealership can make or break a customer’s perception of your lot, and could potentially be the difference between a one-time customer or a repeat customer.